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Im Queen B of Cheap just ask my kids theyll tell you. Ive used pill holders for small things and baggies for big things. I will take 30 min to fill em once a month rather than pay SP prices (no dig on SP I just save where I can). Id rather not use containers for horse stuff cause you gotta hope the feeders get em back to you, depends on the feeders. These look cute plus their guaranteed for life

For those making their own "smart paks"...check your local dollar stores. Many of them around here have a food storage section that has big sleeves of small tupperware-like containers. They come 10 to a sleeve and in different small sizes. The "salad dressing" size would be perfect and it's $1 for every 10. Sometimes they have both seal lids or screw lids. Very handy for tons of stuff.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker

I don't split these for my own amusement... my mare is on UGard which is the only thing we've found that keeps her stomach happy. I want it fed twice a day with her grain. I split the vitamins as well so that the barn owners don't have to worry about which is am and which is pm. They're great people and I want to keep things simple for them.

Back to baggies for me...

I'm sorry if someone else already beat me to this, but seeing as I used U-gard on an OTTB I used to own I thought I'd chip in here. Smartpak's dose of U-gard was in two joined wells. Why can't you just cut the wells in half and then mark "AM" on one and "PM" on the other? That way you aren't paying for split wells?

“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion.” ~Emerson

Because I board. And it's a royal pain in the butt to open a cut SmartPak that doesn't have the tab end left. Found this out the hard way after my mare started turning her nose up at anything a previous supplement even touched, and asking the barn staff to not dump that end wasn't working.

You should also note that SP is pushing to feed the UGard "off label" when they do this - the directions are pretty specific that it should be fed twice a day.

I also redid the math. Of the ~$45 I was paying for my mare's SP, $15 was increased in SP prices over buckets. They've just added $18 to this. So $33 for "convenience" on $30 worth of supplements. I will be making my own thank you...

"Adulthood? You're playing with ponies. That is, like, every 9 year old girl's dream. Adulthood?? You're rocking the HELL out of grade 6, girl."

I can see why barn owners like Smart Pak. The barn where I board my riding horse has over 40 horses. Even with SmartPak and the other boarders who bag/package their own, the supplementation adds at least 30 mins to the feeding process. My BO does not charge extra but I could see why she would. The Smartpak products are definitely easier on her and her help. Everyones costs have gone up including Smartpak. It is not surprising to me to see an increase.

My barn requires SmartPaks for any horse receiving more than two supplements. There is some wiggle room for people who will *reliably* pre-baggie their supps, as well as for special products that have no equivalent carried at SmartPak.

On the recycling note, the SmartPaks ARE recyclable -- no my barn does not do it; I leave an empty feed bag next to my feed bin, sharpie EMPTY SMART PAKS on it, and take it home and dump it in my recycling bin when it's full. Not hard.

But I would say before you lose your mind, call them. I had raccoons drag my cat food (which SmartPak delivers for free so I never have to go to the stupid pet store again) off my porch while I was on travel for work, eat half the bag, then it rained. I called, figuring I had nothing to lose, but was prepared to buy another (EXPENSIVE) bag if I had to while cursing the evil cuteness of the 'coons who insist on taste testing all my boxes. The rep on the phone had a good laugh with me and said, in about 10 seconds, "No problem, we'll ship you out a new bag today."

Another SmartPak user chiming in. Willow is on Probios and BL pellets. I pay my $24 for the service as well. My life is crazy busy, and sometimes just being able to have her supplements delivered to my door, all measured, is a godsend. I don't ever worry about somebody screwing anything up (not that they would!). It's just all done for me. They call me when I make a change to my order online to confirm, and make sure that everything is working fine. The first 3 months I had them, CS called me to make sure that I was happy.

The also offer a money back guarantee, which says a lot to me as well. Their staff is happy, they have a sense of humor, and they know what they are talking about.

On the recycling note, the SmartPaks ARE recyclable -- no my barn does not do it; I leave an empty feed bag next to my feed bin, sharpie EMPTY SMART PAKS on it, and take it home and dump it in my recycling bin when it's full. Not hard.

But I would say before you lose your mind, call them. I had raccoons drag my cat food (which SmartPak delivers for free so I never have to go to the stupid pet store again) off my porch while I was on travel for work, eat half the bag, then it rained. I called, figuring I had nothing to lose, but was prepared to buy another (EXPENSIVE) bag if I had to while cursing the evil cuteness of the 'coons who insist on taste testing all my boxes. The rep on the phone had a good laugh with me and said, in about 10 seconds, "No problem, we'll ship you out a new bag today."

THAT'S what I pay for.

You think it wouldn't be hard. I put out a recycle bin that I told the BO I would dump. STILL found tons of totally recyclable materials in the trash, including the SPaks. The barn worker simply didn't care.

Because I board. And it's a royal pain in the butt to open a cut SmartPak that doesn't have the tab end left.

I used to think the same thing, as I work at my barn (which includes feeding multiple supplements). I never had to cut open the top of a smartpak well without the tab on the end, enough thumb pressure on the top and it opens easily that way. Of course, I'm not sure how well that would work with a well full of powdered supplement, but since the u-gard I ordered was pellets, I never had a problem.

“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion.” ~Emerson

It's easier to open a cut SmartPak than it is to fiddle with a Ziploc in the winter. When I busted my shoulder, I was able to open the Pak with one hand and my teeth. It didn't even POOF Probios in my face!

I could no longer justify the waste (even if you do recycle it takes resources to recycle) and expense of Smartpaks anymore. I still love the company and order many things from them, just not the Smartpaks. When I boarded, I used these:

I agree, that many supps are supposed to be twice a day. One approach that worked for me (because horsie lives at home now) was to pull off half the tab for AM, then the second half for PM. That way he could have half of his supps in the AM, the other half in the PM.

I like having the supplements pre-measured so that it's easy for the BO - I'm the only boarder and my mare gets 5 different things so it makes her job easier and saves space. I also can tell if she hasn't been getting the supplements as I'll have extra at the end of the month. (I will mention to the BO, usually it's because someone else fed for her and they forgot).

Oh, no, I didn't know U-Gard was supposed to be fed twice a day I know, I know, I should have done my research and have only myself to blame, but I'm a super busy person who put my trust in SmartPak. I feel a bit misled, and it's too late to change next month's order

Oh, no, I didn't know U-Gard was supposed to be fed twice a day I know, I know, I should have done my research and have only myself to blame, but I'm a super busy person who put my trust in SmartPak. I feel a bit misled, and it's too late to change next month's order

When I had horses that were high maintenance I used smartpaks. It was just so convenient and I was able to recycle to wells. Now that I am down to two easy keepers I buy their multivitamin from the feed store.

I don't know why someone would stop all business with the company just because they don't like the wells anymore. They are still great to work with, stock a good sized inventory, and have fabulous shipping and customer service. On top of that they keep my order history in their system even though I haven't ordered in a while, making it easy to check on what I have bought in the past.

I baggie my geldings feed/supplements and let me give all the ziploc baggie users a tip: buy the Great Value brand slider bags from Walmart! Those things last forever! I honestly have some bags that are 3 or 4 years old!!! I refuse to buy Hefty or Ziploc brand. Many times, I found that they didn't work more than once or twice before I had to toss them.